Lecture and Book Signing with Juanita Díaz-Cotto

"Chicana Lives and Criminal Justice: Voices from El Barrio"

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

This first comprehensive study of Chicanas encountering the U.S. criminal justice system is set within the context of the international war on drugs as witnessed at street level in Chicana/o barrios. Chicana Lives and Criminal Justice: Voices from El Barrio uses oral history to chronicle the lives of twenty-four Chicana pintas (prisoners/former prisoners) repeatedly arrested and incarcerated for non-violent, low-level economic and drug-related crimes. It also provides the first documentation of the thirty-four-year history of Sybil Brand Institute, Los Angeles' former women's jail.

Through her oral histories, Dr. Juanita Díaz-Cotto (State University of New York at Binghamton) has given women who rarely have a voice--either in their own communities or in academic literature--an opportunity to tell their stories on their own terms. Their reflections are haunting and deeply affecting. Dr. Díaz-Cotto specializes in grounding the experiences of Chicanas and female prisoners in the everyday, lived experiences of women across America.

This event is presented by Red Salmon Arts Press, Austin, Texas.

Sponsored by: Center for Mexican American Studies and the UT Community Engagement Center (Division of Diversity and Community Engagement)